Chapter 15
Chapter 15
After going to the amusement park with Yeoreum, she seemed to return to how she used to be… back to before her puberty started.
No, more accurately, it felt like a mix of then and now.
“Ahjussi, you’re back?”
“Yeah, I’m home. You woke up early again today?”
“I made breakfast too. Let’s eat together.”
“Alright.”
She no longer got angry like before. Instead, she smiled brightly and treated me gently.
Even her behavior had become softer somehow.
“Nom nom…”
And even the way she ate had changed. Before, when there was delicious food, she would just gobble it up eagerly. But now, she ate very neatly and calmly.
“Yeoreum, is the food not good?”
“No, it’s delicious. Is something wrong? Ahjussi… do you not like it…?”
At her worried question, I shook my head.
“No, it’s just… you seem a bit more quiet than usual when eating.”
“Hmm… I guess I used to eat a bit too greedily…?”
“That’s not what I mean… It just feels like you’re trying too hard in front of me. You can relax a bit.”
“… It’s because it’s in front of you.”
“Hm? Yeoreum, what did you say?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Sometimes she muttered strange things under her breath, but I decided to just assume I misheard. It probably wasn’t anything important.
Anyway, while she had become calmer in some ways, there were also things that became more intense.
“Ahjussi, your arm.”
“My arm?”
“Yeah, open your arms.”
I was about to see her off to school when she suddenly asked that. I opened my arms slightly, and she ran into them.
“—Hug!”
“—Squeeze…”
“Yeoreum?”
“Can’t I hug you?”
“No, you can.”
“Hehe, thank you, Ahjussi.”
She rubbed her cheek against me while in my arms. It was incredibly adorable. It really felt like I had an affectionate daughter.
Honestly, considering the age difference, she felt more like an affectionate younger sister than a daughter… but I decided not to dwell on that. Either way, she was cute.
These were the kinds of changes that happened.
And those changes became something I proudly talked about to my coworkers.
“So, our Yeoreum listened so well again today, you know?”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard enough about your daughter.”
“You remember I bragged about her grades before, right? She got first place in the whole school.”
“That one’s worth bragging about. Something I’ll never have.”
“Your daughter doesn’t have good grades, does she, Team Leader?”
“Shut your mouth if you don’t want to die.”
“Shut! Mouth!”
“You bastard, I’ll assign you extra shifts.”
“Aaaah!”
They joked around with each other using Yeoreum as the topic, but what did that matter? The important thing was that my Yeoreum was amazing.
“Looks like things worked out well with Yeoreum.”
“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you.”
I bowed my head slightly to thank Dain, and she chuckled before holding out her hand.
“Give me a reward.”
“A reward…?”
“Yep. A reward. You’ve got money.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh really? I know how much the Special Task Force ace, Gu Hyeonmin, earns in hazard pay and extermination bonuses.”
“… I’ll buy you a meal sometime.”
At my answer, she giggled and nodded.
“You better. And bring Yeoreum too.”
“Of course.”
Thanks to such cheerful and kind teammates, even going to work had become enjoyable lately.
And that wasn’t all. Monsters had been appearing far less frequently these days.
There was still about one every two days, but compared to the beginning, that was extremely low.
People even joked, “Did you wipe them all out around here?”
Of course, that wasn’t the case. There was a reason the number of monsters had decreased.
The reason was—
“We’ve sent new ones.”
“New ones…?”
“Yes, monsters. Not a single villain among them.”
Our great master, Cron Balor, had personally dispatched troops.
You might think that meant there should be more monsters—but in this region, they actually decreased.
The monsters he sent were spread across the entire country.
Originally, they would have gathered here following me, but instead, they were ordered to disperse nationwide.
Which meant… while monsters increased across the country, this area actually became quieter.
I felt a bit sorry for other regions’ teams, but what could I do? I was just a powerless middle manager.
Anyway, as I enjoyed these peaceful days, there was one problem.
“And that problem is?”
“Ahjussi! Ahjussi! It’s starting now!”
“… Yeoreum, do I really have to watch this?”
“Ahjussi, you used to watch it with me before! Watch it with me now too!”
I had ended up sharing Yeoreum’s hobby.
And that hobby?
“Magical Girl Camella,
… watching magical girl anime.
Yeoreum, there are so many fun shows out there. Demon Slayer, One Coin, Blitz…
Why not those popular ones? Why magical girl shows?
“I thought they were childish before, but magical girls are the most fun!”
… Couldn’t you just keep thinking they’re childish?
Ahjussi wishes you disliked magical girls. Really.
But Yeoreum was a pure and kind child who had absolutely no understanding of a villain’s heart.
Before I knew it, she was sitting on my lap, watching the show. I had no choice but to hold her and watch along.
The magical girl in the show was in danger—but of course, through friendship and love, she overcame it.
Yeah, great. Wonderful.
“Yeoreum, that was… fun.”
“Right? I knew you’d understand, Ahjussi!”
“Do you talk about this with your friends too?”
“I can’t. They don’t understand how cool magical girls are.”
I don’t really understand either… so why are you trying to spread it to me?
Still, at least one episode had ended.
Twenty painful minutes were over. I thought I was free—
“Ahjussi, do you know this?”
“… What?”
“This came out last year.”
… Seems like freedom is still far away.
“I’m going to binge it starting today. You’ll watch with me, right?”
She looked at me with sparkling eyes, and I couldn’t refuse that gaze.
“… Alright. Let’s watch together.”
“Thank you! Then I’ll play the next one!”
She skillfully grabbed the remote and started the next episode.
And for the next two hours, I nearly died watching magical girl anime.
Cringe? I could endure that.
But what I couldn’t endure… was Yeoreum’s love for magical girls.
Please, can’t you just dislike magical girls?
After letting go of that prickly attitude toward Ahjussi… no, after letting go of that pride, I felt so happy.
I didn’t even understand why I had been so cold to him before.
Now that we were close again… no, now that I was just acting on how I truly felt, I was so happy.
I could act cute with him freely. I could lean on him freely. I could openly share the hobbies I used to hide.
Ahjussi accepted all my affection, comforted me when I struggled, and even respected my interests.
Even liking magical girl shows at this age… yes, it could be childish.
But even so, Ahjussi respected my taste and watched them with me.
Still, it wasn’t like I had no complaints. He still pushed himself too hard.
Thankfully, unlike before, he seemed to be getting enough sleep and not overworking himself too much.
So what could I do for someone I was always grateful to?
I thought about it, but in the end, the answer was simple.
Study hard, get good grades, grow up prettier, and become a kind and lovable daughter for him.
But now I know.
I don’t want to be like a “daughter” to him.
I want to be something special to him. Not a daughter, but something else.
Honestly, even calling him “Ahjussi” feels strange. We’re only ten years apart.
So someday, I’ll show him who I really am.
How pretty I am. How charming I can be.
So… be prepared, Ahjussi.
I’m going to become really beautiful.
Really charming.
Someone like you—kind and amazing—I won’t let go.
Just like I belong to you, under your care…
You’re mine too.
Someone I’ll never give to anyone else.
Mine.